비즈니스 전략, 아웃소싱 전략 및 기업 성과:구성적 관점의 탐색적 연구

IT outsourcing, defined as the process of commissioning part or all of an organization’s IT assets, people, and/or activities to one or more external service providers, has emerged as a viable and powerful option in information systems management. However, the decision to outsource IT functions is not an easy one, since outsourcing not only has a profound and far-reaching impact on an organization’s market share and its technical leadership, but it also helps the organization to be either agile and proactive or sluggish and reactive in responding to customer needs and market opportunities (Hu et al., 1997 Quinn and Hilmer, 1994). In other words, outsourcing is not just an operational decision, but a strategic one with far-reaching consequences. The effective outsourcing strategy is highly critical to the success of outsourcing in the rapidly changing external environment (Lacity and Willcocks, 1998; Lee et al., 2004 Saunders et al., 1997). Furthermore, as the motivations of outsourcing are evolving from a primary focus on cost reduction to an emerging emphasis on improving business performance, it is crucial for organizations to align outsourcing strategy with business strategy to reap better outsourcing benefits as well as firm performance. Consequently, a critical challenge facing organizations how to effectively organize and manage a well-planned outsourcing strategy in accordance with the direction of a business strategy from the beginning of outsourcing. An incorrect outsourcing decision with insufficient thought as to outsourcing strategy and business strategy can result in loss of competencies and capabilities, exposure to unexpected risks, and even business failures. Despite its apparent importance, the issue has gained little attention from researchers and practitioners in the field of IT outsourcing. To address the issue, this study explores the thesis that organizations with the fit between business strategy and outsourcing strategy are expected to have better outsourcing gains and firm performance than those without such fit. Specifically, two fundamental questions need to be answered in this study: (1) are certain outsourcing strategies more effective than others in particular business strategies? (2) do their effective combinations positively affect firm performance? We aim to answer these questions in the light of prior theory on business and outsourcing strategies. For organization strategy, Miles and Snow(1978)'s well-established typology, including defenders, prospectors and analyzers, is adopted, while three outsourcing strategies – independent, arm’s-length, and embedded outsourcing strategies - from a configurational perspective identified by Lee et al.(2004) are used. We then develop model of fit between the two strategies that influence the degree of outsourcing gains and firm performance. That is, the study builds theoretical feasible sets of internally congruent patterns between business strategy and outsourcing strategy, leading to higher achievement of outsourcing benefits and firm performance compared to misfit or incongruent patterns between them. Finally, the proposed alignment is examined with the dataset collected from Korean firms that outsourced their IT functions. The empirical evidence shows that outsourcing alignment with business strategy significantly influences outsourcing success and firm performance in defenders, analyzers, and prospectors. The findings have significant implications for further research and practice.